Life

Rebuilding Good Habits after Lockdown

Rebuilding Good Habits after Lockdown

Though I loved working from home during the lockdown, I now realize that it came at a cost – in March and April I destroyed most of the good habits I had worked very hard to build over the last few years.

The Jet Lag Series: How do I work? When do I find time to write?

How do I work? When do I find time to write? I get asked this question a lot. People wonder when I have time to do research. Do I do research at all? Or do I have someone else do it for me?

The Jet Lag Series: There is no “I” in Hannah (But There are Two in “Vitaliy”)

The Jet Lag Series: There is no “I” in Hannah (But There are Two in “Vitaliy”)

Last summer Hannah started playing volleyball. She really fell in love with the game. She was one of the best players. Then the program director noticed Hannah’s play and told me that Hannah had “good hands” and suggested that we transfer her to a more advanced team of 15-year-olds (Hannah just turned 14). I instantly started calling her “good hands Hannah.”

The Jet Lag Series: Art or Craft

Severe repetition could turn an art into a craft – as our skill improves creative tension is reduced. Repetition may slowly drain the emotion out of each iteration. Craft and art are both components of creative activity, but art is the component that keeps us improving.

Set Your Egg Timer to 6 Months

Set Your Egg Timer to 6 Months

If we had our egg timer set on six months, we’d prioritize what really matters: relationships, inhaling life, walking in the park. We’d reset what we care about, and it wouldn’t be things. We are given the rare opportunity to prioritize what is most important to us without guilt. The material world is on pause, at least for a few weeks.

The Jet Lag Series: Inhaling Europe - Rembrandt

The Jet Lag Series: Inhaling Europe

I was inhaling Europe on a trip to Switzerland and Italy with my brother Alex and my son Jonah. This was Jonah’s first time in Europe, and I really wanted him to love it as much as I do.

Daily Journal

Daily Journal

I started keeping a daily journal to see how journaling will impact what I write about. Writing down important conversations I have may allow me to explore them further on my own.

Cultural Calendar

Cultural Calendar

I listened to Tim Ferris’s interview with Neil Degrasse Tyson. There are a few insights that I got from this interview. You need to expose your kids to the world, so I set a day each month where I look ahead a month or two and plan our “cultural calendar”.

Geofence Diet - The 8%

The 8%

In January I am going to attend a VALUEx conference in Switzerland and travel through Europe with my brother Alex and my son Jonah. In 2018 I started to pay attention to my health and geofenced my diet, pausing the diet only when I travel, which is 8% of the time.

Broadening Our Horizons with Complexity

Broadening Our Horizons with Complexity

The Santa Fe Institute takes an interdisciplinary approach to research, and is a leader in complexity theory, which looks at the economy as an organic, ever-evolving ecosystem. How can I apply this theory to my own mental models

My Crash - Importance of Sleep

My Crash

I developed a bad habit of not sleeping enough while I was writing my mini book on Tesla and the EV industry, I felt exhausted and had difficulty concentrating. I researched the importance of sleep and how it impacts our health - both physical and mental.

My Single Greatest Achievement

My Single Greatest Achievement

My son Jonah is taking a gap year after graduating high school and will spend the next two semesters in Israel. Before Jonah boarded the plane, we exchanged letters. What he wrote to me stands above anything else I have accomplished in my life. This is my single greatest achievement.

Personal Finance Advice That Changed My Life

Personal Finance Advice That Changed My Life

Today I am going to write about a topic I have never written about before: personal finance. I am writing about this not so much for you, faithful reader, as for my kids.

Transgender Trees, Homelessness, and a Dare in San Francisco

Transgender Trees, Homelessness, and a Dare in San Francisco

I was on a trip to San Francisco with my kids. As I am flipping through the memory bank, I am shocked at how many experiences we packed into three days.

Vitaliy Katsenelson & William Shatner - Looking for Denny Crane at a Star Trek Convention

Looking for Denny Crane at a Star Trek Convention

My daughter Hannah and I visited the Star Trek convention in Denver to meet William Shatner because of his role of Denny Crane.

Ukraine

Idealist, I Am

My wife and I recently watched a Ukrainian comedy series. A history teacher is caught on video delivering a passionate ...

Who Am I? (and my composers)

Who Am I? (and my composers)

Someone recently asked whether I think of myself as Russian, or American. My initial response (without thinking) was – American. But as I gave this question more thought I realized that the answer is more complex.

Zurich to Nice – Travel Notes

Zurich to Nice – Travel Notes

I'm sharing my experience of traveling from Zurich to Nice, and I'm struggling to organize my thoughts into words.

Expanding Perspectives Trough Travel - From Spain to the UK

Zurich to Nice

On January 28th, my brother and I are flying to Zurich to attend the by-invitation-only VALUEx Klosters conference. Attendees are expected to present and share their best investment ideas, and we will also get to ski and enjoy the food in the Swiss Alps. Afterwards, we will rent a car and embark on a six-day journey from Zurich to Nice, France.

Resetting Defaults - Managing Your Time

Resetting Defaults – Managing Your Time

What I am about to share with you is somewhat random drivel about a topic that has been very important to me in 2018 – managing your time. I am anything but an expert on it; and in fact, as you’ll see, this is something I fail in and am trying to fail less.

Life Itself

Life Itself

My wife and I recently watched the movie Life Itself (available to stream for free on Amazon Prime).  I am glad I didn’t look at ratings before I watched it.